Stevens Transport aviary

I'll pm it to you next. I'll answer what I can, and others here can answer what I can't.
I'm glad this post has been helpful to you!
I'd say you should plan on $400 a week, so what you make over that will be a plus, instead of planning on more (which you will probably make on solo, more or less) and ending up short.
Once you're in a truck with a trainer you can pick his brain and figure out what you're going to make and remove your deductions once you start getting them. Those deductions will vary greatly from person to person depending on what you finance and what you borrow, etc during school and training period. By the end of your second trainer you will have a good idea what you will be bringing home.

Now, for my report today, I had my first accident.
sigh
Backing in southside. I know, don't say it. I was in my last hour to drive, and I saw the rest stops so far were overflowing, and the Petro in Remington is huge and there is a Pilot next door as well, so I knew it would be my best chance. Past that is another rest stop even closer to Indianapolis so it would be even less likely to have a hole open, and the Petro would be my last truckstop within my HOS.
So I pull in, and there are already trucks parked every which way. I did find a hole way in back, and it was obvious why it was still open...you would have to do an odd side back to get in it. I circled the lot and went down every lane, but nothing else but too narrow ones and some where the truck on the other side was backed in too far and I would end up sticking out too far. I even tried the best looking one, and ended up way too far out in the lane.
So, back to the off side hole. It is right at the end of the line, almost in the corner, and no way to pull around the other direction to do a left side back. I pulled up and got as straight too it as I could, got out and looked, looked good, backed in a bit, pulled up some, looked again. Saw I was close to the one on the right, put myself more left, pulled up, got out and looked again, saw I had about three feet to that side and needed to straighten out so I wouldn't push the end of my trailer into the trailer on the right. Backed in some more and pulled up and got straight, and backed straight in, feeling good about it.
The guy in the Roehl on my left gets out of his truck screaming and yelling and looking at the front of his truck and yelling some more. I roll down my window and ask, "What? I didn't hit that."
"The **** you didn't you dumb ******-******!!!!"
His right hood and light is broken, and I'm like, No way! I wasn't near him when I looked anytime, and I didn't feel or hear anything. He's all sure and screaming up a storm. I go look at my truck and trailer and there is a clean spot on the trailer with some red paint on it. I felt my stomach drop and had to admit that I must have hit him while doing that next-to-last back in before I got straightened out and after I got out to look the last time. It had to be then, because my first two GOALs I was no where near him, was over too far right, and the last back was just to straighten the truck up and back more or less straight in and had good views in both mirrors.
So first the guys says he felt in and came up front and saw me pulling out and thought I was going to pull away, but saw I got out and looked back and behind me and got back in and backed in. That's when I was sure when I had to have done it.
Then he says he was up front and laying on his horn before I hit him. I know that was a lie because I would have heard even his city horn. I didn't have my radio on because the talk shows I like were over and didn't feel like music when the last one ended and just turned it off since Petro was less than 10 miles ahead. The only sounds were my engine and the heater blower, and where the mark is on the trailer means I would have been pretty darned close to his tractor.
Anyway, did the QC message and called in to report. Got his info, between his cussing and acting like his tractor was totaled, and called back to safety to give them his info. He wasn't willing to give me his company address or phone number or anything I couldn't get off his truck or his license. What a dick. Anyway, I'm pretty dang good at reasoning with folks and got him talked down and acting more like an adult and less like a child who just got his candy taken away.
No damage to my trailer, just cleaned a spot on the apron and left a small streak of red paint. His tractor is fine except the corner of the hood is cracked open and his headlight is knocked out of place. It still works, his signal light still works and his hood opens and closes just fine. It will still probably cost me and arm and a leg!!!
sigh
Guess I learned not to blindside back even when you GOAL more than you need to. I must have gotten further to my left than I thought I was. If I had stopped less than a foot sooner I wouldn't have contacted his tractor. I had to get that angle going because of the trucks parked across the lane. The snow is covering all the lot and no lines are visible anywhere. They haven't plowed this lot at all.
But oh well, hindsight is always 20/20.
And at least it took me more than a year to have my first contact of any kind with another vehicle. And at least it was a backing one, and not out on the road. no one was hurt, the damage is minimal and he was just starting his break, so he won't even be late for his pickup in the morning.
Of course at first he was yelling how he would be late for his appointment and the world was going to end because of it. LOL

 

I didn't see the motel parking. Trucks were parked along the sides of the lot too, so seeing that lot at the motel wasn't an option. I didn't know trucks parked there either.
It will cost me because the driver pays for part of accidents that are his fault. I remember that from classes, but not what percentage or such the driver pays. I only remember that you have a large deductible so to speak.
And the other driver was an older dude who was so skinny I wondered if he was ill. He coughed like he had cancer or tuberculosis but I never saw him with a cigarette.
And no, he never got out until after I was fully in the slot and shut down. Then he got out and was putting his coat on and started acting like he was watching his wife get mugged.

On a note for today, the truck won't start. The APU runs, the lights brighten and the fans speed up when it comes on, but the batteries won't turn the engine over even right after the APU shuts itself off. I went through this a month ago, and here I am with the same problem. Last time the garage in Columbus said it was the alternator on the APU. This time it can't be, as I watched the cab lights and heard the fans increase dramatically when the APU comes on, but still the batteries won't turn over the engine enough to come close to being able to start it.
Waiting for a jump now so I can get the truck in the shop here and see why it's doing this again.